Many retail establishments now specialize in the preparing and selling of takeout food products, particularly sandwiches Many of these sandwiches, which are sold either hot or cold, are prepared using an elongate roll or bun, such sandwiches often being referred to as submarine sandwiches. The completed sandwich is typically enclosed within a paper wrapper, with the wrapped sandwich then being typically positioned within a paper or plastic bag for transport by the purchaser. While the use of bags for the transporting of takeout sandwiches and other food products is a well known and widespread practice, nevertheless such bags are also recognized as possessing disadvantages or undesirable features. For example, many plastic bags are considered ecologically undesirable since they do not readily degrade when disposed of. Further, most bags, whether plastic or paper, do not function effectively when transporting a heated food product such as a heated sandwich since they are not capable of effectively maintaining the sandwich warm for any extended period of time. The use of bags, particularly paper bags, is also often undesirable since many of the sandwiches contain various dressings thereon which can easily effect soiling of the bag, which is obviously undesirable to the purchaser since this increases the risk of soiling of either the purchaser's clothes or of other objects on which the bag is deposited. Further, in the case of submarines sandwiches, many of which are of significant length, many bags are not conveniently configured so as to accommodate the length of the sandwich, and hence their use with such sandwiches is not compatible with optimum handling and transporting.
In recognition of the above disadvantages and in an attempt to provide an improved container for fluid products specifically submarine sandwiches, there has been developed a sandwich wrapper which is formed from a one-piece blank of corrugated cardboard. The blank is defined by a generally rectangular main body part which is provided with a plurality of generally parallel score or fold lines extending longitudinally thereof. This enables the main body part to be folded into a generally elongated rectangular box so as to confine a sandwich therein. This blank has suitable locking tabs associated with the top wall to permit securement of the box in a closed position, with the top wall also having a handle formed therein to facilitate manual grasping of the box. To close off the ends of the box, the main body part of the blank has a single end flap associated with each longitudinal edge thereof, which end flap is associated with and projects outwardly from the bottom wall of the box, being joined thereto by a suitable fold line. The fold line for this end flap is offset inwardly from the main body part of the blank so that the end flap, when folded upwardly into the box, is offset inwardly from the free end edge of the box. The blank also has a pair of transverse score lines which are formed adjacent each edge of the main body part so as to be disposed at the upper corners of the box. These transverse score lines define locking strips which, after the end flap is folded upwardly into the box, are then manually deformed downwardly through an over-center position to exteriorly overlap the upper portion of the end flap to maintain it in a closed position.
While the known wrapper-type box described above does provide for desirable containment, protection and transport of a food product such as a submarine sandwich, nevertheless this known wrapper-type box itself possesses features which are considered less than advantageous. For example, due to the construction of the end flaps and the related locking strips, the end flaps and their fold line connection to the bottom wall of the box are necessarily offset from the free edge of the main body of the blank, and this results in the overall length of the box being greater than the usable interior storage compartment, thereby resulting in wastage of space (i.e. box length) at each end of the box. This also in turn results in the box using or requiring a greater quantity of corrugated cardboard for forming the blank than would otherwise be desired. In addition, and quite significantly, the manner in which the end flaps are locked in the closed position by the deformable overcenter locking strips is rather difficult for a person to rapidly and efficiently perform, and thus the assembly of this box in conjunction with a sandwich thus lacks the desired simplicity of manipulation and efficiency of assembly.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved wrapper-type box, particularly for food products such as sandwiches, which box is believed to improve upon the disadvantages associated with prior such constructions.
More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved wrapper-type box, particularly for a sandwich, which box can be constructed from a onepiece blank of corrugated cardboard and which permits ease of manipulation and assembly of the box around a sandwich, which results in a box having minimal length relative to sandwich length, which permits optimum utilization of the interior storage space of the box, which permits minimum utilization of corrugated cardboard for forming the blank, and which greatly facilitates securement of the wrapper-type box in its fully assembled condition while containing a sandwich therein
More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved wrapper-type box which is particularly desirable for containing and transporting a food product such as an elongate sandwich. The box is formed from a one-piece flat blank of rather stiff but foldable material, preferably corrugated cardboard, the latter preferably being double-faced. The blank is defined primarily by a main body part which is generally rectangular and has a plurality of generally parallel fold lines extending longitudinally thereof between the opposite end edges of the main body part. The fold lines divide the main body part of the blank into a plurality of adjacent but joined side walls, including a bottom wall which joins through fold lines to two adjacent side walls, one of the side walls being joined through a fold line to an adjacent top wall, and the other side wall being joined through a further fold line to an edge flap. This main body part of the blank is folded about the fold lines so as to assume a generally elongate tubular body of generally rectangular configuration, with the edge flap and top wall suitably overlapping and being provided with cooperating locking tongues and slots so as to secure the main body part in a closed assembled condition. The edge flap also has a looplike handle formed therein by suitable cut and fold lines, which handle can be bent upwardly relative to the top wall to facilitate manual gripping and carrying of the assembled wrapper.
To close off the ends of the elongate tubular body, the one-piece blank includes a pair of flaps associated with and projecting outwardly from each end edge of the main body part. One of the flaps projects outwardly from the bottom wall and is joined thereto by a transverse fold line which is effectively aligned with the end edge of the main body part, and the other flap projects outwardly from the top wall and is joined thereto by a fold line which also extends generally in alignment with the end edge of the main body part. One of the flaps of each pair has an outwardly projecting lock tab at the free edge thereof, and the other flap has a tab-accommodating slot adjacent the free edge thereof. Each of the flaps of the pair has a length which is less than the height of the box, but the combined lengths of the flaps of the pair is significantly greater than the height of the box. To effect closure of the end of the box, the pair of flaps associated with the top and bottom walls are folded about their respective fold lines into a position wherein they extend generally transversely of the end of the box, and in fact are folded so that both flaps are angled inwardly into the box interior. The flaps are folded inwardly through a sufficient angle so that the tab on one flap passes over the exterior surface of the other flap and projects into the slot provided on the other flap. At this time the manual folding force imposed on the flaps is released, and the natural memory of the flaps, namely their tendency to return to their original flat blank condition, causes the flaps to swing outwardly and effectively engage the tab within the slot and effectively lock the upper and lower flaps together. In this locked position, the upper and lower flaps are still angled inwardly into the interior of the box and maintain a positive closure at the end of the box without significantly interfering with proper utilization of the interior storage compartment.
With the improved box of this invention, as aforesaid, an operator can readily assemble the box into an elongate tubular closed configuration in surrounding relationship to a sandwich, and then can simultaneously effect closure of opposite ends of the box since the folding of the flaps into the interior of the box and the locking or snap securement thereof in the locked position can be easily performed simultaneously at opposite ends of the box since the folding and locking of the flaps at one end can easily be accomplished through the manipulation of one hand of the operator.
Other objects and purposes of the present invention will be apparent to persons familiar with structures of this general type upon reading the following specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.